In Memoriam -- Those We Lost in 2012

As we close out 2012 ("The Year of the Soap") We Love Soaps wants to pay tribute to those we lost this year both in front of and behind the camera. Below is the 2012 In Memoriam list which includes a number of legends from the world of soap operas. Click on the name to read the obituary.

Ian Abercrombie
SEINFELD's Mr. Pitt, Abercrombie appeared in recent years on DAYS OF OUR LIVES and DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES. He was also on GENERAL HOSPITAL in the '80s (playing Mr. Diamond, part of Celia's storyline) and again in the '90s (Clive), and had roles on SANTA BARBARA (Phillip, the Capwell's butler), GENERATIONS, THE COLBYS, DYNASTY, TWIN PEAKS, KNOTS LANDING and FALCON CREST.

Phillip R. Allen
Pplayed a policeman an episode of DARK SHADOWS in 1970. In 1981, he guest starred on DALLAS as Lloyd Bettinger.

Joan Anderson
Began her professional career as 'Joan Barton' in radio dramas heard over WHK and WGAR in Cleveland. One-time casting director that selected actors for hundreds of commercials for Procter & Gamble soaps ANOTHER WORLD and AS THE WORLD TURNS.

Dimitra Arliss
In 1996, she appeared in GENERAL HOSPITAL as Helena Cassadine. She memorably guest-starred in DALLAS as Hatton, the nurse who gave Sue Ellen alcohol while she was in the sanitarium in 1979.

Zina Bethune
Played Barbara Sterling on LOVE OF LIFE, Robin Lang Holden on GUIDING LIGHT, Priscilla MacIntosh on SANTA BARBARA, and Lisha Steele on YOUNG DOCTOR MALONE. Her role as Gail Lucas, the student nurse on the 1960s primetime soap, THE NURSES (later known as THE DOCTORS AND THE NURSES), may have been her most famous role. (NOTE: Bethune is pictured above with THE NURSES co-star William Shatner.)

Peter Breck
Played Magus (and Agent Masters) as part of the David Grey story line in GENERAL HOSPITAL in 1982.

Bob Brunner
Brunner was showrunner at the time of the now infamous "jump the shark" HAPPY DAYS episode where Fonzie travels to Hollywood and engages in a water-skiing challenge. Since then, the phrase "jump the shark" became known as the point where a TV show begins its decline.

Philip Bruns
Appeared on two seasons of MARY HARTMAN, MARY HARTMAN, playing Mary's father. His daytime soap roles included Mr. Schaeffer on RYAN'S HOPE and Dr. Porchenko on GENERAL HOSPITAL.

Gene Bua
Became a soap opera idol as Bill Prentiss on CBS TV's long-running daytime drama, LOVE OF LIFE, where he met his co-star, Toni Bull (pictured above). Bua and Bull remained married until his death. Bua's other soap roles included Dr. Robert Monday in HOW TO SURVIVE A MARRIAGE and Steve Slade in SOMERSET.

Barry Cahill
Husband of longtime GENERAL HOSPITAL star Rachel Ames, Cahill played Sam Powers during the early years of THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. He also appeared in SANTA BARBARA and DYNASTY.

Leonardo Cimino
In the early 1980s he replaced Dominic Chianese as Alexei Vartova (Joe Novak's rival) on RYAN'S HOPE. He later appeared in 'V' and ONE LIFE TO LIVE.

Dick Clark
AMERICAN BANDSTAND host and producer of several Daytime Emmy Awards.

Gary Collins
Soap roles included Bob Kerry in DIRTY SEXY MONEY and Harry Curtis in THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS.

Carolyn Conwell
Played Mary Williams on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS for many years.

Linda Cook
Played memorable roles on a number of soaps including THE EDGE OF NIGHT (Laurie Ann Karr), RYAN'S HOPE, LOVING (Egypt Jones Masters), ALL MY CHILDREN and (three different roles in) AS THE WORLD TURNS.

Miguel Couturier
Appeared in the telenovelas in MIRADA DE MUJER and MAREA BRAVA, and the American-produced series EL DIEZ.

Lillian Cvecich
Longtime hair stylist for SEARCH FOR TOMORROW, ANOTHER WORLD and AS THE WORLD TURNS.

Sahara Davenport
Contestant from RUPAUL's DRAG RACE that once appeared on ONE LIFE TO LIVE.

Richard Dawson
Host of game show FAMILY FEUD which featured a number of Soap Opera Showdown weeks with the stars of daytime.

Phyllis Diller
Guest starred in THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL as Gladys Pope. The Bell family friend also appeared in Lauralee Bell's hit web series FAMILY DINNER. In 1984 she made a memorable appearance in AS THE WORLD TURNS as Marcy's (Marisa Tomei) Fairy Godmother.

Virginia Dwyer
Her roles included Mary Matthews in ANOTHER WORLD, Janice Turner in AS THE WORLD TURNS, Janice Turner Hughes, Ruth Jannings Holden in THE GUIDING LIGHT, Tracey Malone in YOUNG DOCTOR MALONE, Jane Edwards Ames in THE SECRET STORM, and Jocelyn Brentof in THE ROAD OF LIFE.

Charles Durning
From July to November 1972, Durning played Gil McGowan in ANOTHER WORLD.

Elizabeth Eis
Played Nelle Gunston, Buffie Harrington, and Mildred Ward in the original series of DARK SHADOWS. She appeared in a total of 15 episodes.

Barbara Esensten
In 1987 DYNASTY producers Esther and Richard Shapiro hired two ex-news reporters to write several scripts for the new season. Esensten, who worked for an all-news radio station in Los Angeles, and James Harmon Brown (pictured with Esensten above), a former reporter for the Los Angeles Times, signed on to make the show more vital and realistic. Along with Brown, Esensten went on to write for LOVING, THE CITY (a show she co-created), GUIDING LIGHT, PORT CHARLES, ONE LIFE TO LIVE and ALL MY CHILDREN. They were nominated for two Writer Guild of America Awards and five Daytime Emmy Awards for their soap opera work, winning for GUIDING LIGHT in 1993. They were part of the ALL MY CHILDREN team nominated earlier this year.

Chad Everett
Played Thomas Sterling in the original MELROSE PLACE and Dr. Joseph Vernon in PACIFIC PALISADES.

James Farentino
Had recurring roles on DYNASTY (Dr. Nick Toscanni), MELROSE PLACE (Mr. Beck) and ER (Ray Ross), on which he played George Clooney’s estranged father.

Al Freeman Jr.
Best known to soap opera fans from his long-running role as Captain Ed Hall in ONE LIFE TO LIVE, opposite Ellen Holly's Carla. Freeman also played Assistant District Attorney Ben Lee in THE EDGE OF NIGHT.

Jonathan Frid
Best known for his role as Barnabas Collins on the original DARK SHADOWS afternoon soap opera on ABC.

Kevin Gill
Director at LOVING (January 1989 – January 1990) and GENERAL HOSPITAL (January 1990 – March 1991). Director and producer for ALL MY CHILDREN (August 1996 – August 1997).

Cliff Goodwin
For several played roles in GUIDING LIGHT, AS THE WORLD TURNS and THE EDGE OF NIGHT.

Larry Hagman
Played Curt Williams in SEARCH FOR TOMORROW. In 1961 he joined the cast of THE EDGE OF NIGHT as policeman turned attorney Ed Gibson (he had played a smaller role on EDGE in the past). Best known for the iconic role of J.R. Ewing in DALLAS, which he reprised in 2012 on the new TNT version of the show.

Mary Hanes
Teaming with husband Ken Hanes, co-executive produced five episodes of ABC Family’s primetime soap opera MAKE IT OR BREAK IT.

Robert Hegyes
Best known as Juan from WELCOME BACK KOTTER, played one of the Vipers (Pete's gang) on DAYS OF OUR LIVES in 1985.

Brian Hibbard
Member of the a cappella group The Flying Pickets. Appeared in CASUALTY, CORONATION STREET (Doug Murray) and EMMERDALE (Bobby-John Downes). One of his last roles was in EASTENDERS, playing a former social worker named Henry Mason.

Celeste Holm
Soap opera credits included roles as Clara and Lydia Woodhouse (guest appearance in 1986) and Isabella Alden In LOVING (1991-1992), Lauren Roberts In AS THE WORLD TURNS (1981) , Anna Rossini In FALCON CREST (1985). During her LOVING appearances Holm was married to Wesley Addy (pictured with her above), who played the role of Cabot Alden on the series. They were married in 1966 and stayed together until his death in 1996.

Whitney Houston
Soap viewers recall an early public appearance by Houston with Jermaine Jackson on AS THE WORLD TURNS in 1984. Houston garnered much acclaim from her role, which led to her first single, "Saving All My Love For You," hitting the Billboard charts just months after appearing in Oakdale.

Geoffrey Hughes
The actor was perhaps best known as Eddie Yates in CORONATION STREET from 1974 to 1983, reappearing in 1987.

John Ingle
Played Edward Quartermaine in GENERAL HOSPITAL until his death. Daytime soap opera fans also remember Ingle from his run as Mickey Horton in DAYS OF OUR LIVES. His primetime soap roles included guest appearances in DALLAS, KNOTS LANDING, MELROSE PLACE and BEVERLY HILLS, 90210.

David Kelly
Known for comedy FAWLTY TOWERS, soap fans remember his appearances in the British series EMMERDALE in the 1970s as Mick Cavan, and in the Irish serial GLENROE in the 1980s as Sylvie Dolan.

Jack Klugman
Began his career in 1954 on the NBC daytime soap opera THE GREATEST GIFT where he played Jim Hanson.

Johnny Lewis
Played motorcycle gang member Half Sack in SONS OF ANARCHY. Had recurring roles on THE O.C. and AMERICAN DREAMS.

Michael Lipton
Starred as Neil Wade in AS THE WORLD TURNS, Dr. Stan Kurtz in SOMERSET, and Augustus Harper in ONE LIFE TO LIVE. (NOTE: Pictured above on right with ATWT co-stars Peter Brandon as Donald as Deborah Steinberg as Amanda.)

Milla Louw
Known for her role as Tannie Schoeman in the South African soap opera 7DE LAAN.

Claire Malis
Played Dorian Lord on ONE LIFE TO LIVE from February 1977 to April 1979.

Mabel Manzotti
Argentine film, stage and television actress whose telenovela credits included the role of Amanda in the telenovela VIDAS ROBADAS.

Walter Matthews
Recurred on GENERAL HOSPITAL (Clyde Bingham in 1981) and ANOTHER WORLD (Rachel's father, Gerald Davis, from 1970 to 1974).

Russ Mayberry
Longtime director who work on DALLAS, THE SECOND HUNDRED YEARS and GLITTER.

Norma Monty
Former head writer at GENERAL HOSPITAL. Sister of the late Gloria Monty.

George Murdock
Guest appearances included DYNASTY, DAYS OF OUR LIVES, and TORCHWOOD: MIRACLE DAY.

Michael O'Hare
Played Commander Jeffrey Sinclair on BABYLON 5. In 1988 he had a recurring role in ONE LIFE TO LIVE as George Vasquez, Maria's brother.

Lupe Ontiveros
Played Juanita 'Mama' Solis in DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, which earned her an Emmy nomination. Starred as Lucia in the web series LOS AMERICANS and was nominated for an Indie Soap Award earlier this year for her work.

Ron Palillo
In 1994 appeared as underhanded blackjack dealer Gary Warren in ONE LIFE TO LIVE

Frank Peppiatt
Creator of HEE HAW, with the memorable long-running sketch "The Culhanes," a take on soap opera-esque storylines.

Eileen "Mike" Pollock
Along with husband, Robert (Bob) Pollock, wrote for LOVE OF LIFE, then THE DOCTORS in the early 1970s, which earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for Best Writing for a Drama Series in 1974. After a five year run, they moved out West and wrote for GENERAL HOSPITAL. She was best known as a writer and producer for DYNASTY in the 1980s as well as its spin-off series, THE COLBYS.

Al Rabin
best known for the 17 years he spent as a director and then, starting in 1980, executive producer at DAYS OF OUR LIVES. Rabin started at DAYS in 1975, took a 7-month sabbatical in 1989, and left for good in 1992. Rabin was nominated for nine Daytime Emmy Awards during his run at at the soap. He previously directed at GENERAL HOSPITAL. After DAYS, he was executive producer of 1994's VALLEY OF THE DOLLS.

Bill Rafferty
On July 14, 1981, the game show host made a guest appearance in TEXAS interacting with Roy and Bobbie Sue.

David Rakoff
Played modeling agent Rich Tuchman in AS THE WORLD TURNS in April 1998.

Paul Rauch
Served as vice president of CBS daytime programming in the early 1970s before leaving to take over as executive producer of ANOTHER WORLD (1971-1983). Went on to produce ONE LIFE TO LIVE (1983 to 1991), SANTA BARBARA (1991-1993) and GUIDING LIGHT (1996-2002). His most recent work was as executive producer for THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS from 2008 to 2011. Rauch also created ANOTHER WORLD spin-off TEXAS (1980) and LOVERS AND FRIENDS (1977), which transitioned into FOR RICHER, FOR POORER. (NOTE: Pictured above with Maria Arena Bell and Jeanne Cooper.)

Nick Santino
Played small roles on GUIDING LIGHT (Father Soto) and ALL MY CHILDREN (Officer Anton).

Tony Scott
He was a partner with his older brother in Scott Free Productions, which makes THE GOOD WIFE.

Sandra Silvana Gallardo
In 1988, Gallardo appeared on DAYS OF OUR LIVES. as Rosa Ramirez, the mother of April, Emilio and Julio and wife of Monty Dolan. In the storyline, Rosa ended up comatose after being hit by a car and Monty decided to pull her life support plug.

Doris Singleton
Appeared for a short time on DAYS OF OUR LIVES as Kay Stanhope in 1976.

Eugene Smith
He appeared in many television soap operas such as ANOTHER WORLD (Ed Berns), THE EDGE OF NIGHT (Steven Adler), AS THE WORLD TURNS, SOMERSET (Lt. Will Price), THE GUIDING LIGHT (Bill Bauer) and ONE LIFE TO LIVE.

Emily Squires
For several years, while directing SESAME STREET, she also wrote for daytime soap operas GUIDING LIGHT, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW, THE SECRET STORM and AS THE WORLD TURNS. She won a WGA Awards in 1985 as part of the SEARCH FOR TOMORROW writing team.

Warren Stevens
Career in stage, film and television spanned 60 years including roles in the soaps RETURN TO PEYTON PLACE (Elliot Carson) and FALCON CREST (Senator Bundy Silverlake).

Yale Summers
n 1964, Summers joined the cast of GENERAL HOSPITAL as Dr. Bob Ayres. In 1972 he starred as Rodney Harrington on RETURN TO PEYTON PLACE, a role he would play for two years.

Mary Tamm
Following her one-season stint on DOCTOR WHO Tamm appeared in BROOKSIDE in the mid-1990s, where she played snooty Penny Crosbie.

Bill Tarmey
For 30 years played lovable rogue Jack Duckworth on British soap opera CORONATION STREET.

Colin Tarrant
Best known for his role as Inspector Andrew Monroe in THE BILL.

Maureen Toal
Best known for her role as Teasey McDaid in RTÉ's long-running soap GLENROE.

Jenny Tomasin
British actress forever known to hundreds of millions of television viewers as the clumsy, disheveled, Valentino-obsessed kitchen maid Ruby Finch in UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS. In the '70s she played the role of Ruby Finch in the British soap opera CROSSROADS, and she twice appeared on the British soap EMMERDALE — in the early 1980s and in the mid-2000s — and each time, her character was killed off.

Gore Vidal
In 1976, Norman Lear wrote him into seven episodes of MARY HARTMAN, MARY HARTMAN's second season.

Great job Roger. I had forgotten about a number of these and I did not know about the death of Caroline John. I knew Mary Tamm had passed away. Caroline John also appeared with Elisabeth Sladen on Doctor Who with the 10th Doctor, David Tennant. Remarkable individuals.... all of them! RIP!